Bitch Media - National Endowment for the Artshttp://bitchmagazine.org/taxonomy/term/3439/0
enNEA finds that Americans are attending fewer art-related eventshttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/nea-finds-that-americans-are-attending-fewer-art-related-events
<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3581/3289291174_2e29945ec6_m.jpg" height="92" width="240" /></p>
<p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/3636616239_4acf4d6037_o.jpg" height="300" width="439" /><i></i></p>
<p><i>Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Brown at Birdland, photo by Marcel Fleiss</i></p>
<p>So, the good news, as I see it anyway, according to a recent study by the <a href="http://www.nea.gov/">National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)</a>, is that a third of Americans reported making art themselves. We're making it in the form of music, photography, weaving, sewing, painting, etc. Hooray! The bad news is that Americans are attending fewer art-related events put on by professionals, like musical concerts, plays and dance performances. Audiences are getting older and fewer (for example at classical and jazz music events).</p>
<p>I heard the <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105438556&amp;ft=1&amp;f=100">story reported on NPR</a> just a day after I saw on Facebook that my sister attended what sounded like an great Jazz festival. While I used to go to shows quite a bit, I realized after reading her update, that I just don't get out to hear music as much these days. For a music-lover, this is a strange and uncomfortable revelation. </p>
<p>The shows I used to go to were, more frequently than not, in the rock/pop/electronic genres—usually it was a night of dancing and high energy. But my tastes have changed, and while I still love a lot of that music, I've developed a love of other genres, perhaps mellower genres—folk, jazz, r+b, country and more ambient electronic. </p>
<p>So why am I not at least going to as many shows as I once did featuring these newer genres of interest? In my case, it's perhaps a little bit of what happens when we (and by 'we', I really mean, many of us) age—we are content to spend the evening at home reading, 'making' or chatting with friend. Of course there are often more responsibilities as we age as well—and that might be the primary piece of the puzzle for me. Because, although I'd love to head out when my beloved musicians make it to town, I now have my money 'earmarked' for other things, 'practical things', that hit higher on my priorities list. Sure, I feel like a grownup for knowing so, but I also feel a little sad as well. </p>
<p>So I'm vowing now to get out, at least a little bit more. In fact, our local <a href="http://www.portlandballet.org/">Portland Ballet Company</a> is struggling to sell tickets and it's people like me that they need to attend in order to stick around. So I'll see you at the ballet/jazz club/symphony/playhouse etc...</p>
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<p>So what about you? Are you concerned about this drop in attendance to professional art events. <span class="TWIIGSPOLLquestionlink">Has your attendance to art-related events changed?</span> If so, why? </p>
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http://bitchmagazine.org/post/nea-finds-that-americans-are-attending-fewer-art-related-events#commentsartistscreativityNational Endowment for the ArtsNEAArt and DesignWed, 17 Jun 2009 23:50:07 +0000Briar Levit1783 at http://bitchmagazine.org